There are many devices available to properly tension a sports racquet, such as a tennis, badminton, or squash racquet, during the stringing process. These devices are accurate and reliable, and are necessary for consistent racquet stringing. However, once the racquet is strung, there is no readily available method or device for accurately checking the racquet string tension. Present practice consists of thumping the racquet face against the heel of the hand, or flicking the strings with the fingertips, in order to audibly determine the frequency of the "twang" or "singing" of the strings, as an indication of tension. Another method which is sometimes employed is to displace the strings by pushing on the racquet face and subjectively estimating tension.
There is obviously a need for accurate measurement of the tension of the strings in a sports racquet to ascertain whether the strings have gone slack, have changed tension over a period of time, and to check to see if a freshly strung racquet is strung consistently and throughout its surface at the prescribed tension.
Accordingly, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive apparatus for checking the tension of lines under tension, and particularly for checking the tension of strings in a sports racquet.